Power Automate Cloud vs Desktop — A Comprehensive Comparison
Today’s ever-evolving world demands automation & Microsoft’s Power Automate has emerged as the go-to solution that empowers modern businesses to streamline workflows, boost productivity, and eliminate manual tasks. And, as organizations increasingly adopt this powerful platform, they are faced with a crucial decision: Power Automate Cloud or Power Automate Desktop? Both cater to the varied automation needs while understanding their distinction is vital in making an informed choice that aligns with specific business requirements.
With this blog, I’ll comprehensively compare Power Automate Cloud and Power Automate Desktop while exploring their unique features, use cases, and benefits. I’ll try to help you determine which version best suits your automation goals & sets your business on the path to unprecedented efficiency.
What is Power Automate Cloud & Power Automate Desktop?
Power Automate is a no-code/low-code platform from the stables of tech behemoth Microsoft. This tool enables users to automate workflows and processes across various services and apps. Microsoft offers Power Automate in two primary versions: cloud-based and desktop-based. Power Automate Cloud, a cloud-based app that can be used to build and run flows, provides various connectors that enable users to connect to different services and apps, such as Salesforce, Google Drive, and Office 365. On the other hand, Power Automate Desktop, as the name suggests, is a desktop app used to create and run flows that interact with the local file systems, databases, and web browsers.
Comparison Between Power Automate & Power Desktop
Now that you understand the basics, let us take a closer look at the critical points of difference between Power Automate Desktop and Power Automate Cloud:
• Automation: Let us start with the most fundamental point of comparison in this regard, i.e., automation. Power Automate Cloud is a user-friendly tool that empowers non-developers and business users via a low-code or no-code development environment to create workflows, thus simplifying the task of building automation scenarios of varying complexity. On the other hand, Power Automate Desktop is a decidedly advanced automation tool. It uses Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and offers a visual editor to design workflows, meaning users can record and personalize interactions with apps’ UI.
• Connectors: Connectors, as you can imagine, play a crucial role in automating workflows across apps and services. This is why the next point of comparison is connectors; Power Automate Desktop offers connectors for local services and apps, such as File Explorer, Microsoft Office, Windows Explorer and more. Power Automate Cloud is loaded with connectors for cloud-based apps and services, such as Salesforce, Google Drive, Office 365, etc.
• Security: It is amply clear by now that Power Automate Desktop operates on the local system, which can be a boon for companies with stringent security and data privacy needs. Because the data processing happens on the local infrastructure, the sensitive data never has to leave the user’s environment, minimizing exposure to external risks. In the case of Power Automate Cloud, data is processed on Microsoft’s servers. Though the company complies with industry standards and regulations and has some of the strictest security standards and measures, some companies could struggle with specific data privacy concerns that need extensive consideration when using a cloud-based service.
• Features: While both Power Automate Cloud and Power Automate Desktop have many features, one could say that the Desktop version has a slight edge over the Cloud version. Power Automate Desktop’s features include those that help capture and replay user interactions and work with local files and folders. Power Automate Cloud’s collection of in-built features is for cloud-based tasks, including updating records and sending emails.
The comparison reveals that both Power Automate Cloud and Desktop versions have unique strengths. While the Cloud version is top-notch in seamless cloud-based integrations and user-friendly automation, the Desktop version empowers users with advanced RPA capabilities for complicated local tasks. We recommend consulting a skilled Power Automate consultant to choose develop & utilize the right version for your company.
